Many wire distribution systems include patch panels which must have some arrangement for properly grounding the many electrical cables that are fed to the panel.
One common grounding system typically found in electrical distribution panels consists of a steel tray to which a grounding block is mounted, and the cables fed to the distribution panel are grounded at this grounding block. A grounding tower assembly is mounted at the back of the steel tray and it consists of a plurality (e.g., four) brackets that are spot welded to a base plate, with each bracket being provided with openings through which conventional grounding clips are mounted on the brackets. All of the components must be zinc plated or otherwise processed to allow electrical conductivity.
While these systems are entirely functional, they are relatively expensive to produce because of the large number of sheet metal parts which must be punched, stamped, and zinc plated, and then the metal parts must be spot welded in place. Additionally, in conventional panel designs, a separate grounding clip must be provided for each electrical cable to be grounded, which may require up to sixty-four separate grounding clips, depending on the panel size.
Finally, in conventional distribution panels of the aforesaid type, the grounding system inherently occupies a significant amount of space, which results in increased size and greater production expenses, and which results in the overall distribution system occupying a larger footprint.